The stock exchange closed at 2 p.m. local time (1700 GMT), three hours earlier than usual, due to the transfer of power from President Nestor Kirchner to his politician wife, scheduled for around 3 p.m. local time (1800 GMT).

The MerVal index .MERV of 25 leading stocks closed up 0.27 percent at 2,244.97 points, tracking early gains in U.S. stocks.

In informal trade between foreign exchange houses, as measured by Reuters, the peso closed stable at 3.15/3.1525 per U.S. dollar ARSB=. In formal interbank trade, where the central bank intervenes, the peso also ended flat at 3.1375/3.14 per dollar ARS=RASL. (Reporting by Jorge Otaola; Writing by Hilary Burke; Editing by Andrea Ricci)